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Contact NIRT NOW nirt@btinternet.com |
Updated 28/06/09 Visitor Number |
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Booking Hot line 07790-163114 [Current status - Closed] |
NIRT 2009 OPENING TIMES
Month |
Date(s) |
Time |
Event |
Adult |
Child |
Family 2+2 |
What’s Happening.. |
July |
5 |
10am – 5pm |
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£3.50. |
£2.50. |
£10.00 |
Train rides & Museum open. Refreshments |
August |
2 |
10am – 5pm |
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TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
Train rides & Museum open. Refreshments |
August |
29 – 31 |
10am – 5pm |
Treasure Hunt |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
Clue sheets £1. Prizes. Train Rides. Museum open. Refreshments |
September |
12 – 13 |
10am – 5pm |
Heritage Open days |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
Train rides & Museum open. Refreshments |
October |
30 – 31 |
5.30pm – 9pm |
Halloween |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
Trains in the dark. Ghosts on site. Fancy Dress. Hot food. Sealed Knot |
December |
12-13/19-20/24 |
11am – 5pm |
Santa Specials |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
Santa promised he would call again this year, make sure you come too!! |
Train spotters please note: We are only open to the public on the days advertised on this site; . Some magazines & publications differ as they have not updated their records. To avoid disappoint, please check first as we are unable to accomodate unexpected visitors. Arrangements can be made for any special group visits & entry is by donation, but these are strictly by appointment only.
To book for events please email Nirt or Call the Hotline 07790-163.114.
A selection of pictures from some of the events held during 2008/2009
Grim reaper - Halloween at NIRT |
Bank Holiday Cab rides |
Christmas at NIRT |
Easter Treasure Hunt |
Santa on his train |
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NIRT NEWS in brief...
Sunday 28th June, 2009 - 34th AGM held on site at Hunsbury. This was standard business detailing what's been happening during the last 12 months and our plans for the next year. Ian Cave stood down as Chairman after many years of loyal service, and a vote of thanks was offered to reflect this. Ian still remains a director, but due to other commitments decided not to stand again for re election as chair. Bill Nile was elected onto the board and was duly elected Chairman. This coincides with his work further developing external links and partnerships with the wider community. We wish them both well. The President 's post has been filled this year by Simon Tasker, a Director of the Trust and building contractor. All other posts remain the same. The financial position of the trust was discussed, and the past year has shown a great leap forward in terms of performance & viability. The trust now aims to build upon this and looks forward to the future with renewed hope. |
Wednesday 17th June, 2009 - READYPOWER at nirt. Major rail industry plant hire provider, Readypower used Nirt infrastructure for an on site demonstration of plant to their clients. The day proved to be very successful and NIRT was very pleased to welcome them to site. We are hoping that more of these events can be arranged in the future. Should you have any requirements for their services, see the Readypower web site www.readypower.co.uk |
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Clearance in progress by the BTVC: Picture by Simon Tasker |
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Digger getting on to track: picture Ian Cave |
placing trolley on the track: picture Ian Cave |
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BTVC - Have joined forces with Nirt to help us in the battle to remove the weed growth. BTVC have provided up to 30 people for 4 days a week to tackle this job. This has proven to be a great success and the group have cleared the long straight on the loop line. Sincere thanks must go to Mick and his team for their stirling work. We understand that this might be on going as it provides work for unemployed people of all age ranges and skill sets.
Sandite Unit. Scrapping continues, the roof & body work are about to be cut and removed. Cyril Crouch has kindly offered to take on this job. Fortunately all precious metals have been removed and disposed of. This will leave just the bogies and under frame. The bogies have been sold. If you wish to purchase a cab side number(s) from this vehicle please contact the railway via the web ONLY. No sensible offer refused! |
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Loading water into the mixer to simulate a load: picture Ian Cave |
Full size Concrete mixer on a trolley! picture Ian Cave |
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| The newly completed platform. This has been raised to comply with the current regulations & aid passenger comfort. | The sumit of the line looking towards Top Station | |||
Track Work to Top Station. Following the initial findings of the track survey, the sleeper condition is worse than we thought. We need to bring in more sleepers and more ballast too. There is a knock on effect to this, and that's the delay this brings getting the line up & running for passenger use. Money is particularly tight. Given the current climate and certainly in the short term; this area will in all probability have to be moth balled yet again. The Trust will look into ways of trying to source some urgently needed funding to enable us to progress this work. The site continues to be cleared of all major growth and now awaits the BTVC people for their track clearance. The last remaining hedges have been made ready for laying during the winter period, this only then leaves a small area of the loop to do. After 30 years of near neglect this has been a massive operation, carried with very little mechanical equipment. The results really speak for themselves. |
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| Other news.. | NEWS JUST IN... | ||
| Nothing pending |
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nothing pending | |
Your local neighbourhood Management Board. People living or working in the area, listening to your priorities and getting the resources and funds to make a difference. |
Hire This Train! |
Please sign the Guest Book
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April 27th, 2009 - Northampton & Lamport Railway. The Trust was shocked to learn of the recent news of the major theft of railway components from their site. All heritage railways struggle enormously trying to procure track and all the associated equipment due to cost, storage & transportation. This is a bitter blow for them and we sincerely hope that they can recover from this and that the Police manage to catch the offenders. As near neighbours, we are deeply concerned for are own equipment too. We have had minor instances of attempted theft, but they have been thwarted. We urge all members to be vigilant. If you see anything suspious or offered components from an unusual source - telephone the Police. On site, don't be fooled by orange Hi vis and official looking trucks. Nirt Hi Vis is all printed with the railways name & sponsor. This does make identification much easier for the public. We are fortunate that we have manned security in place and have done for sometime.
If you have news, pics, views or an item for this web site please email: The Webmaster nirt@btinternet.com |
Sponsor & support NIRT
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| The reinstatement of Foot Crossing | ||||||
At 0800 we all congregated at the railway - Camp Freddie, Simon, Ian, Cyril, Dave, Nick & Myself were due to get this all done today It was the 24th January 2009 - 10 years ago to the day I took membership at the railway, today on my anniversary and exactly a month since Christmas. The lads & I were about to fill in the missing link that would rejoin the new section to the Old line and take us back to the underpass this side of the Mereway shopping center. By about 1000 we had picked up sleepers and placed them on Mabel - Our mobile buffer stop and general purpose vehicle, the train was the taken to the compound station and the main tools were placed on board on Mabel.
The arrival of the 1015 works train at Foot Xing. Laden with materials, tools equipment, the staff mess room (and cook) & Tailed by The Planet Loco. The old line to be connected, now clear of vegetation.
The renewal schedule was to install a new bed of stone, install sleepers, attach rails and make good a pedestrian crossing to allow safe passage across the newly installed section of line. The planned time was about 4-6 hours in which we would have to partially close this park entrance, or stop work whilst park users crossed carefully.
1015 we got to the work site and we started right away, laying the first ballast, placing sleepers and moving rail around the work site, it was a beautiful winter day, the sun out, the frost was thawing and this helped make the job even more enjoyable to do
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None of us like to doing track work, its hard back breaking work, its something we are used to, but not many people would consider shoveling stone, moving steel rails that weigh over a ton by hand something fun to do.
Slowly the jigsaw got completed, at about 1300 we stopped for dinner and congregated in the brake van, that today had been converted in to a mess room, with Chef de partie Ian doing a wonderful spread - a fry up we filled our rolls, drunk a much needed drink and just stopped for 20 minutes.
But like a jigsaw you don't see the full picture until its nearly all done, various users of the crossing stopped and watched us working - it could even have been you reader who helped us move a bag of stone - thanks for that small bit of help friend.
After this short break we walked back to the renewal, with much work done we had to just screw done rails to sleepers fishplate the new rails together, whilst this was being done Nick was fitting up the new pedestrian crossing
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With the majority of the work done some of the team had to leave, but without their help & drive to get this done we would not have finished
It was fast approaching dusk and we were near the end of today's task and ahead of time. once Nick had finished screwing down the crossing we brought the train forward to drop the final sleepers down to make the steps. With half the train across driver Simon took Mabel & the Fowler slowly over foot crossing and for the first time since christmas 2002 we were on the old line up to Mereway. We looked on and smiled, I started to laugh and the four of us felt very good about what we had completed today. With only some remedial work to be carried the following week, a new gate to be installed and the remain of the fencing to finished off this renewal work was almost done
Today's Work party - PIC ES Bill "Camp Freddie" Nile, Simon "Driver" Tasker, Cyril "chief Ganger" Crouch", Ian "chef" Cave, Nick, Kev "Ops " Smith, Ant Piner, "Wild" Bill Adlam and of course Dave Windhaber We are ready now to tackle the sleeper changing up to the end of the line, the year had started with a good start, with the fences being tackled as well we felt at that moment unstoppable, nothing would stop us now. Project top station is now GO ! Text Kev Smith. Pictures Cyril Crouch & Kev Smith |
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